1. Anatomy and Function of Special Senses
LABORATORY Eight
Anatomy and Function of Special Senses

2. Cow Eye Dissection (Google, Image, Cow Eye Dissection)
Identify the assigned superficial structures
Make a coronal section
With the scalpel make an incision 1cm (the width of the scalpel's blade) below the junction of cornea & sclera
With scissors cut around the cornea keeping the 1cm distance from the junction all around
To remove the jellylike transparent substance, hold down the lens by left thumb and scoop out the jellylike substance by right thumb
Detach the lens from the iris
Scoop out the jellylike substance from the posterior cavity very gently not to disturb the retina (immerse the posterior part of the cow eye in the water to reshape the retina)
Identify the assigned structures
Use the human eye model to study the muscles responsible for eye movement
Lens looks like a bath bead and in a live animal is transparent
Cornea is also transparent in a live animal
Iris is the smooth flat colored part of the eye, and ciliary body is the more textured mushroom like structure behind it (more lateral to iris)
Both iris & lens are able to change shape by the contracting muscles surrounding them
Anterior cavity is the space between iris and cornea, in front of the lens, and the posterior cavity is the cavity behind the lens…Lens divides the eye to the anterior and posterior cavities…
Retina is where all the sensory receptors for the eye are located
Choroid is a continuous pigmented layer behind the retina (more dorsal)…the black color absorbs light, so it does not reflect inside the eye
To find the optic disc, swirl the retina around to find the place the retina is attached to the floor of the eye…This is where all the sensory neurons are merging to form the optic nerve II…There is no photoreceptor in this spot, that is why it’s called the blind spot
Fovea centralis has the highest number of photoreceptors and it is your focal point…Macula is the tissue around the fovea centralis and when it’s degenerated, the person can not focus sharply

3. Muscles of the Eye To identify the medial/lateral ends of the eye:
To determine the medial rectus muscles from lateral rectus muscle, you need to know where the medial part of the eye is…to determine that, look for the superior and inferior oblique muscles…
To identify the medial/lateral ends of the eye:
For superior/inferior oblique muscles, their attached part to the sclera is the more lateral side
Optic nerve II is located more medially

4. Sagittal Section of the Eye

5. External, Middle, and Inner Ear
ear models are often disassembled on the lab practicum (e.g. the inner ear structures may be at one station, the tympanic membrane shown separately, & the rest of the model at a separate station

6. Organ of Corti
If you unroll the cochlea and make a cross section of it, you’ll be able to see the organ of corti
The middle ear, where the ear ossicles are, is filled with air
The inner ear, inside the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canal is filled with liquid
When the sound waves travel through external auditory canal, they make the tympanic membrane to vibrate, which in turn vibrates the ear ossicles, which then vibrates the fluid inside the cochlea, which then results in the movement of tectorial membrane of organ of corti, causing the hair cells to bend and an action potential is then generated.
Vestibule and semicircular canals have a function in maintaining the individual’s balance and detecting movements in essentially any direction…

7. The Tongue (a) Dorsal Surface
(b) Papilla (enlargements on the surface of the tongue)
(c) Taste bud (view the microscopic slide)